Limited



c.- WALE.

MORTAR FOR THROWING PROJECTILES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12.12am.

Patented NW. 25, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 2. Fly.

C. WALE.

MORTAR FOR THROWINfi PROJECTIL ES. APPLICATION FILED JUNE I2. 1911.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

burrs sma tes ea n CHARLES WALE, or NEVICASTLE-UPON-TYNE; ENGLANDiASSIGNGRTG SIRWL G. ARMSTRONG, wnrrwon'rn AND ooiurnnr, LIMITED, or NEWCASTLE-UPON;

TYNE; ENGLAND.

MQRTARFGR msowmamemcmss.

saaeso.

T0 aZZtv/iOm ii may concern," v I Be it known that I, CHARLES lens; a subject'of the King ozt Great Britain; residing 1 at Elswick Works, NeWcastle-upon-Tyne; England have lIIVGDtGCl" anew and-useful Improvement in Mortars for Throwing Projectiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in mortars having combustion chambers separatei'romthe barrels.

The object of this invention-is to obtain uniformity of rangewhich .is' efi'ected by delaying the actlon of the explosion gases generated by 'cordite or other service propellants.

In all guns of large bore and short range? other projectile whereby t-he'area of the chamber orpart'of thejguniin which coin: bustion takes place is rapidly increased and therefore the pressureofthe gas is reduced to a point which tends to "produce uneven burning of the firing charge "which results in an lnaccurate range.

Accordingto my invention the gun is provided with'a separate combustion chamher which communicates with the barrel of' the gun, preferably through a restricted opening in a partition separating the bar rel from theco'mbustion chamber, and this opening is normally closed by a rodor stem When the charge is fired the gases act on a part of the stem or rod presenting a relatively small projecting from the bomb.

area to thegases, but after the bomb has moved a short distance in the barrel the'rodor stem'is Withdrawn from the opening in" the partition and the explosion gases "are admitted to the barrel and aet'upon'a larger area of the bomb'and ejectit from the barrel. 7

The accompany ng drawmgs illustrate four mortars made in accordance with this invention. Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4: are longi tudinal sectlons of the four mortars.

In all the'figures, the barrel A of the mortar is separated from the combustion chamber B by a partition (3- having a hole Application filed June 12,1917? sesame-17sec:

Specification of Letters Patent: v PatQnfedNqj 25 :19'19.-

D through which passes a stem or rod E on a bomb F. I

Iurigsa, 2 and3, the combustion chain ber" Bhas breech G for the insert-ion "of a chargmH'; the tween being closed by a breach screw '1 fitted "withfiring mechanism;

In thecombustionichamberin Figtgl is aloyliiider 'J closed at 'one'end and of such a sine na ure reducedend'E of the stem-"E slidably fits it. When theoharge'is fired the gases 'act'on the unreducedpartof the'stein pushing forward "the bomb until the" hole D is opened when they enter the barrel and act upon the bomb F. i

piston E fitting into the hole D in the 'par-' cylinder K iniwhichare ports K? for allowtltlOnC and the; smaller one into a ing 'of the passage of the explosiongas'es; When the charge is fired the gases act upon the two pistons-E ,"E If the pistons were forward until thehole D is openedpvvhe'n p the gases enter the-barrel and act upon the bomb F.

By the arrangement shown in Figi'Q a hole of largediameter maybe'made in the- InFig. 3, a passage Land port's M531 I M leading into the passage are made in the stem E; The stem E passes through the hole D in the partition C and enters a 1cylih-' in the combustion chamber B."

der' N When the Charge is .fired the gases pass first through the j-portld andthen into the passagefL and issue through the port M 111w the'barrel, thus causingthe bomb to move forward and uncover the other port M As in the former cases the hole D is subsequently opened.

In Fig. 4c, the breech G is dispensed with and the charge H is inserted through the of the same area no movement would be 'gWen to the-rod, but as' thefplstonE is: larger than theplston E the bomb is pushed hole D in the partition G into a perforated cylinder 0 in the combustion chamber B. The charge H may be attached to the end of the stem E. The charge is ignited through a hole P, the gases first acting upon the end of the stem E pushing the bomb forward until the hole D is opened, when they enter the barrel and act upon the bomb. lVhen the barrel is rifled it is preferred to insert the bomb from the breech end. To enable this to be done the barrel A is screwed into the combustion chamber B and is carried by a ring Q, pivotally mounted on brackets 7 It will be observed that my invention may be applied to a gun in various ways, some of which have been illustrated. In all cases, however, the charge is fired in a confined space and the gases at first act upon a relatively small area of the projectile or a part connected therewith to at first move the bomb slowly for a short distance and then the gases operate upon a greater area to eject the bomb from the barrel.

What I claim is i j l. A mortar comprising barrel, a combustion chamber, a fixed or immovable partition between the barrel and thecombustion chamber having a hole in it of smaller diameter than said combustion chamber, through which the barrel and chamber communicate for the passage of gases from the chamber to the barrel, means for propelling the bomb by the gases generated in the combustion chamber to give an initial movement to the bomb and for then opening the hole in the partition and admitting gases from the com bustion chamber to the barrel.

2. A mortar, comprising a barrel to re ceive a bomb to be fired, a combustion chamber, a fixed or immovable partition separating the barrel from the combustion chamber and having a hole in it of smaller diameter than the combustion chamber through which gases pass to the barrel and a rod. projecting through the hole but removable therefrom for pushing the bomb forward when the charge is fired and for then opening the hole to admit gases to the barrel of the mortar.

3. A mortar, comprising a barrel for a bomb, a combustion chamber, a fixed or immovable partition separating the combustion chamber from the barrel, and having a hole through it of smaller diameter than the combustion chamber to establish communication between the combustion chamber and the barrel, and a rod connected with the bomb and passing through and normally closing the hole in the partition but which is removable from the hole and is adapted to push forward the bomb when the charge is fired and to pass through and open the hole in the partition.

at. A mortar comprising a barrel to receive a bomb to be fired, a combustion chamber, a partition separating the barrel from the combustion chamber and having a hole in it through which gases pass to the barrel, a rod projectingthrough the hole for pushing the bomb forward when the charge is fired and for then opening the hole to admit gases to the barrel of the mortar, and a cylinder in the combustion chamber into which the rod extends.

5. A mortar, comprising a barrel to rcceive a bomb to be fired, a combustion chamber, apartition separating the barrel from the combustion chamber and having a hole in it through which gases pass to the barrel, and a rod projecting through the hole for pushing the'bomb forward when the charge is fired, said rod being provided with two pistons of different sizes one of which normallycloses the opening in the partition and passes through and opens the hole to admit gases to the barrel of the mortar.

6. A mortar, comprising a barrel to re ceive a bomb to be fired, a combustion chamber, a partition separating the barrel from the combustion chamber and having a hole in it-through which gases pass to the barrel, a rod projecting through the hole for pushing the bomb forward when the charge is fired, a cylinder in the combustion chamber and two pistons of different sizes on the rod the larger of which fits the hole in the partition and the smaller fitting the cylinder in the combustion chamber said cylinder being provided with ports for admitting to it the explosion gases.

7. A mortar comprising a combustion chamber, a barrel of materially greater length than the combustion chamber, a fixed or immovable partition between the combustion chamber and the barrel having a hole in it through which the barrel and chamber communicate for the passage of gas from the chamber to the barrel, hole-closing means extending through the hole in the partition which are acted on by the gases generated in the combustion chamber for giving an initial movement to the bomb and for then opening the hole to admit gas fronr the combustion chamber to the barrel to discharge the bomb therefrom.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this eleventh day of May, 1917.

CHARLES WALE. 

